Fall 2006 FIG Offerings

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 1  “Human Natures: Here, There, and Everywhere”  CRN: 82580

This course will seek to develop a broad yet nuanced understanding of the social, cultural, and biological nature of human kind.  In doing so, the course will explore the variation, in terms of both similarities and differences, among human groups.  Examples and insights will be drawn from both contemporary U.S.  society, cross-cultural global societies, and the full sweep of humanity’s history and prehistory.  Throughout the courses, students will develop their abilities to think critically, reason soundly, and express themselves clearly in both writing and oral presentations.

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 2   “Global Warming”   CRN: 82581

Global warning is the most important issue of our lifetimes, for it involves the general future of the planet.  For thirty years scientists and others have warned that it is in progress; others have claimed that it is a fraud.  In the biology course we shall examine the roots and effects of climate change; in political science we shall consider what steps might be taken to deal with the threat, what steps have been taken, and what is involved in large-scale political action; and in the composition course we shall examine the arguments on both sides of the issue.  Our particular interest will be in global warming as it may promise changes for our region, and the steps we are and are not taking to plan for those changes.

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 3   “Ethics, Culture, and Mental Health”   CRN: 82582

Topics related to mental health are increasingly visible in contemporary American society: one sees therapists in Hollywood movies and on television shows, and there are advertisements for mental health medication throughout the media.  Also different cultural approaches to healing, such as Buddhist meditation, become more visible in U.S. media.  This FIG provides an introduction to different philosophical, psychological, cultural, cross-cultural, and ethical approaches to the mind and mental health.  Questions to be considered include: What is mental health, normal, and abnormal behavior?  What are causes of abnormal behavior?  What is healing?  What ethical questions are raised by the idea of defining ‘‘mental health’’?  What ethical concerns should one have, if any, about the advertising of psychiatric medication and services?  What are the effects of culture on categorization and diagnosis of mental disorders?  In what way do current assumptions about mental heath and healing within the U.S. differ from those assumptions dominant in other cultures, e.g.  in India, in Germany, in Nigeria, or in Native American Indians?  How has mental health been regarded and treated throughout history?

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 5   “Art and Ideas”   CRN: 82584

Pope Gregory the Great, defending the Church’s use of images in the 6th century C.E., called art “the book of the illiterate.”  If you have ever obeyed a traffic sign or “read” the emergency procedures brochure on an airplane, then you will probably understand what he meant.  Images in human culture often take the place of words in telling stories or expressing certain ideas.  Gregory was neither the first nor the last person to try to justify and explain the apparent need for images in human culture, but his statement goes to the core of art’s problem.  What does it mean and how does it convey its meaning?  Human beings habitually think and express themselves using language.  However, from its beginning, human culture has also used images as a means of communication.  Problematically, we experience images entirely non-verbally.  When describing artworks, we often resort to adjectives that reveal the gap between words and images:  indescribable beauty, inexpressible sadness, ineffable grace, etc.  The things in pictures are sometimes literally beyond words.  In this FIG, we will explore the boundaries between words and images and the roles that language and art play in formulating crucial ideas in human culture – including, among others, ideas of the self, of the other, of humanity, of beauty, and of God and the supernatural. 

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 7   “Seduction, Power and Human Nature: History Through Literature”   CRN: 82586

“Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.”

Hermann Hesse, Swiss (German-born) author (1877-1962)

To understand human nature – and especially the seductive sway power of any kind has upon the behavior of human beings – we often turn to great works of literature, those dramas, epics, and poetic narratives that were produced by the keenest observers of their day.  When we read literature, we gain an insight into the human personality; when we look at history, we understand human nature from a different perspective, within the broad confluence of major events and social circumstances.  When we combine the two, using literature’s investigation into the forces at work within the human heart to examine the forces at work within the human community at any given time, we come to a deep and abiding understanding of the temptations, follies, desires and drives to power that make up the human animal.  In this FIG we will explore these issues as manifested in literary works and in the historical record; students will exercise their critical thinking skills and their analytical abilities in reading, discussing, researching and writing about literary texts and the issues involved.

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 8   “Nature’s Place:  Psychology of Environment”   CRN: 82587

The recent tsunamis remind us of nature’s devastating power.  At the same time, forests bend daily to the onslaught of urban development.  Events such as these force us to consider the ideal balance between human needs and healthy ecosystems.  In this FIG, we will explore the complex relationship between human behavior and the natural environment through written argumentation and scientific investigation.  Students will examine the effects of natural and urban environment on human performance, restoration, and stress.  Students will also consider and discuss the psychological and social conditions underlying the design, management, and protection of environments.  Above all, we will use these issues to build college writing and research skills through essays and debates. 

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 9   “Global Religions”   CRN: 82588

For centuries, boundaries between beliefs and practices have blended with one another through histories of trade, migration, exploration, and imperialism, yet the speed of globalization has increased in the last two centuries.  This course examines several of the important trends within globalization and their implications for “Religion” in the present.  In particular, we will examine how “local” religious traditions interact with global processes.  How did the development of plantation societies produce new performances of identity and faith?  How does the mixing of local and global traditions produce new forms of consciousness and religious expression?  How does the introduction of capitalism and global media create new conditions for religious expression?  How have these processes produced new forms of conflict and political identification?

A Residential FIG

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 4   “Nutrition, Education, and Policy”   CRN: 82583

Proper nutrition and regular exercise are the keys to healthy living.  Although most people recognize this statement's accuracy, they may not know how to access the tools or the motivation to eat well or engage in physically active lifestyles.  This FIG will provide access to the tools for practicing healthy lifestyles.  It will also take a critical look at the way our K-12 education system is delivering these tools to the students in our public schools.  HUN 1001 will present students with a scientific perspective on eating well.  In EDF 1005, students will be introduced to historical, philosophical, and psychological underpinnings of Education in America with particular focus on health education and physical education.  Students will complete school observations that will provide a framework for examining policies and practices that impact nutrition and physical activity in the context of our K-12 schools.  ENC 1101 will help students investigate and write about issues and policies that impact the presence and emphasis of nutrition and physical activity in today’s society.  This FIG may be particularly attractive for students who plan to major in education or a health-related discipline. 

A Residential FIG

UFIG 0001: FIG Group 6   “You Are What You Eat: Studying Food and Culture”   CRN: 82585

In this FIG, taught by a dietitian and a folklorist, we will look at both our own food habits and the food habits of others in their cultural contexts.  Each culture has its own deeply ingrained system of food, encompassing everything from the schedule of meals, to the foods eaten, to the ways they are prepared, to the behavior expected at the table.  By analyzing the patterns in different food systems, we can learn a lot about some of the basic assumptions and values of each culture.  Taught using active and experiential learning techniques, we will research different cultures, use ethnographic techniques to document and analyze eating habits, and explore nutritional analyses.  The course will include some field trips, independent research, oral presentations, and, of course, the cooking and eating of different kinds of foods.